The Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters promoted the “Master Plan for Innovation in Fire Safety for Foreigners” for seven months from June to December last year to reduce the number of fire victims among foreigners, and recorded an increase in fire safety awareness of about 10%.

The “Master Plan for Fire Safety Innovation for Foreigners,” the nation’s first comprehensive plan for fire safety for foreigners, was promoted by the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters after a fire broke out in an apartment building in Ansan City on March 27 last year, killing four foreign (Nigerian) children.

To prevent fires, the Ministry of Labor and Employment installed fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in 16,947 workplaces with foreign workers and 1,898 households with foreign residents, and fire safety inspections were conducted at 150 workplaces by the Ministry to maintain fire and evacuation facilities and eliminate hazards.

The Ansan Multicultural Village Special Zone, where many foreigners are concentrated, was designated as a “Fire Prevention Enhancement District” to further strengthen fire safety inspections, education and training. In addition, 10 types of disasters that are closely related to the lives of foreigners, such as factory fires, building collapses and isolation, were selected and 50,000 leaflets of “Action Tips for Each Type of Disaster” were produced in five languages, including English, Chinese and Vietnamese, for distribution at facilities used by foreigners.

To establish a rapid response system, the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters improved the 119 situation management system so that firefighters can receive information immediately when a fire is reported at foreign worker accommodations. In addition, it established a “Multicultural Specialized Fire Brigade” consisting of 17 members from 10 countries, including Vietnam and Pakistan, to conduct fire safety education for foreigners by region.

Gyeonggi also focused on creating a culture of safety among foreigners.

The Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters launched the “Foreigner 119 Youth Group,” consisting of 170 foreign youths, to establish a fire safety culture, as well as the “Global Safety 119 Instructor Group,” selecting 20 foreign instructors to provide continuous disaster safety education to foreigners. Last year, nine foreign teams participated in the 12th Gyeonggi CPR Competition for the first time. The Gyeonggi National Safety Experience Center in Osan City provided experiential safety training to more than 2,300 foreigners.

As a result of these efforts, overall fire safety awareness among foreigners has also improved. A fire safety awareness survey was conducted among foreign workers living in Gyeonggi Province, comparing the results of a survey conducted in March last year (1,318 respondents), before the master plan was implemented, with the results of a survey conducted in December (1,137 respondents), after the master plan was implemented. The results showed that the average level of awareness in five areas – how to report an emergency, how to evacuate, how to use a fire extinguisher, familiarity with CPR, and how to use a fire hydrant – improved by about 10%, from 3.3 to 3.6 points. For reference, “very much so” carried a score of 5 and “not so much so” a score of 1.

As a result of the effectiveness of the master plan, Gyeonggi Province has been recognized as an excellent region in the Ministry of the Interior and Security’s safety index for six consecutive years.

“We have taken the lead in improving various systems, such as enacting an ordinance on fire safety support for foreign residents and recommending that the government designate temporary buildings, which are often used as housing for foreign workers, as special firefighting targets… We will create a Gyeonggi-do that is true to the basic spirit that safety transcends borders and race,” said Cho Jong-ho, Commissioner of the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters.

As of the end of last year, Gyeonggi Province was home to 655,062 foreigners, the highest number among the local autonomies of the country.